Toast 2012 with a Champagne cocktail

A toast of Champagne at midnight is the traditional way to welcome in the new year with friends. But a more stylized way to say hello to 2012 would be to fill the flutes with a Champagne cocktail.

Kathryn Rem

A toast of Champagne at midnight is the traditional way to welcome in the new year with friends. But a more stylized way to say hello to 2012 would be to fill the flutes with a Champagne cocktail.

“Picking a Champagne cocktail rather than Champagne makes your party or event stand out. It gives it personality, more pizazz,” said A.J. Rathbun, Seattle-based food and entertainment writer and author of “Champagne Cocktails: 50 Cork-Popping Concoctions & Scintillating Sparklers” (Harvard Common Press, 2010).

He suggests picking a signature cocktail or two to serve at your party.

“As the host or hostess, the key to a successful party is for you to have fun as well. So prepare what you can in advance and you can relax a little,” Rathbun said.

A Champagne cocktail is a blend of Champagne or sparkling wine and a mixer, such as fruit juice, liquor, liqueur or another wine. Flavorings might include simple syrup, bitters, whole fruit or a spritz of citrus. The mixer provides color and flavor, while the Champagne gives the cocktail a touch of elegance.

“It’s sparkling and glistening and it tends to match the snazziness of the holiday season,” Rathbun said.

There are five main sweetness levels of Champagne. From driest to sweetest, they are brut, extra-dry, sec, demi-sec and doux. Usually, Rathbun said, it’s OK to substitute another sparkling wine for true French Champagne, as long as it stays within the same sweetness level.

Other tips from Rathbun:

- Garnish accordingly. “What a lot of people forget is that garnish isn’t just an adornment, it’s also a flavoring element. Choose one that adds to the overall flavor profile.”

- Choose the right glassware. Flutes, with their tall, narrow bowls and long stems, are ideal. It helps contain carbonation by reducing exposure to air. “If you don’t have flutes, use a white wine glass or a coup.”

- Use fresh ice. “You want to avoid old ice that’s been getting too friendly in the freezer with the fish you caught last summer, because the ice will take on the flavors of nearby foods,” he said. One-inch cubes are ideal. If you don’t have them, cracked ice will work, but be aware that it will melt faster.

- Punch it up. Consider making a Champagne punch. Once it’s in the punch bowl, guests can serve themselves, freeing up your time for socializing.

The classic Champagne Cocktail – with sugar, Angostura bitters and Champagne – was invented in the 1800s and is featured in Jerry Thomas’ “Bar-Tender’s Guide” from 1862. Since then, Champagne Cocktails have flourished, grown and evolved.

“They’re delicious,” said Rathbun. “You shouldn’t reign yourself in with just plain Champagne.”

Recipes are from “Champagne Cocktails.”

Kir Royale

4 ounces framboise

Chilled brut Champagne

4 lemon twists for garnish

Pour 1 ounce framboise into each of four flute glasses. Fill each flute with the chilled Champagne.

Twist a lemon twist over each drink, drop it in, and make the pronouncement to start drinking.

True Champagne is made in the Champagne region of northeast France. Most countries bow to this tradition by calling their sparkling wines by other names, such as spumante in Italy and Sekt in Germany. Only in the U.S. do some wineries refer to their bubbling wine as “champagne.” French Champagne is usually made from a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir or pinot blanc grapes, and California champagnes generally use the same varieties.